Healthy Wealthy & Wise Dr. William T. Choctaw, MD, JD
The Healthy Wealthy and Wise Podcast, with Dr. William T. Choctaw, MD, JD is a monthly podcast that focuses on personal growth and development by exploring a range of topics related to mental and physical health, personal wealth, leadership, and interpersonal relationships. Dr. Choctaw draws on his 75yrs experience and 50 plus years of surgical practice since graduating from Yale University School of Medicine.
Each month, we strive to provide our listeners with mental, physical, and spiritual strength by giving actionable advice, tips, guidance, and information to help them achieve their own personal, professional, and spiritual goals. We consider the health of the mind, body, and spirit paramount as a single unit that provides a cumulative strength greater than the individual parts, to strengthen the whole person.
We appreciate the natural differences in need between men, women, adults, and children. We recognize that the power to be happy is within each of us and under our control. We embrace technology and identify how it is applicable to our daily success. We address the entire human experiences from generation z to the baby boomers.
We’re passionate about the total person, and helping our listeners build and lead a full, well-rounded and happy life. So, tune in every month for an inspiring, encouraging, and informative podcast!
Healthy Wealthy & Wise Dr. William T. Choctaw, MD, JD
From Childhood Dreams to Passion for Special Education: A Conversation with Richard Darrow Nichols
Picture this: you're a young boy, growing up in a bustling city, surrounded by talented entertainers and national heroes. Your street's named after a president, your neighbors include the likes of the Jackson family, and you're dreaming of becoming a journalist. This was the childhood of our guest, esteemed national leader, Richard Darrow Nichols. Richard's journey from his youthful dreams to his passion for special education is an inspiring tale of growth, resilience, and the transformative power of education. His anecdotes about fraternity life, the values of pride and respect it instilled, and the role of teachers and neighbors in shaping his commitment to education, bring to life the community that nurtured his success.
Life, as we know, isn't always a bed of roses. Richard's inspiring journey has also been marked by challenges and lessons learned. His battle with prostate cancer, his involvement with the NAACP and Boy Scouts, and the role of his church community, all served as turning points in his life. Through these experiences, Richard emphasizes the importance of trust, forgiveness, and regular health assessments. His courage and resilience echo in his advice to others: "Do not fear what life throws at you, and trust God in every situation."
In our ongoing quest to empower men of color to prioritize their health, we believe Richard's story can serve as a powerful catalyst for change. Our Healthy, Wealthy and Wise podcast aims to be a comprehensive resource, offering insights and advice to inspire and educate. Listen, learn, and share Richard Darrow Nichols' inspiring journey. Don't just be a listener, be a part of the change. Support and subscribe to our podcast today.
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The Host, Dr. William Choctaw; MD, JD, is a healthcare leadership expert, possessing a Medical Doctorate from the Yale University School of Medicine, and a Jurist Doctorate from Western University. Over a span of 50 years practicing medicine, he has served as Chief of Staff, Chief of Surgery, and as a member of the medical executive committee at Citrus Valley Medical Center over a 10 year period. Also, while practicing at Citrus Valley Medical Center, he served as Chief Transformation Officer, (developed a Robust Process Improvement/Lean Six Sigma program). Dr. Choctaw lectures nationally and internationally on medical leadership issues for hospital staffs, executives, and managers. He served as a Physician Surveyor on the Joint Commission. He's the author of 2 books, "Medical Malpractice: A Physician's Guide to the Law" and "Transforming the Patient Experience: A New Paradigm for Hospital and Physician Leadership, published by the Springer Publishing Co. He’s the President of Choctaw Medical Group, Inc., a clinical practice and medical legal consulting firm for medical staff executives, physician leaders, and hospitals.
Welcome to the Healthy, wealthy and Wise podcast with Dr William T Choctaw, mdjd. Today, we delve into a captivating conversation where Dr Choctaw and his special guest, the esteemed national leader, mr Richard Nichols, unlock invaluable life and wellness lessons. So brace yourself as they also explore the transformative power of paying it forward. This is an episode you won't want to miss. Plus, you'll definitely want to share it with someone. Keep listening all the way to the end for details on just how to do that. So let's get started. Here's Dr William T Choctaw, mdjd.
Speaker 2:Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Healthy, wealthy and Wise podcast. I'm Dr William T Choctaw. I will be your host for this. This morning. We're very delighted to have an outstanding guest that we have the privilege to hand over to you. This is Mr Richard Darrow Nichols, and as we have him to discuss with us his experiences, you'll understand why we're so excited to have him on our podcast. So, richard, welcome.
Speaker 3:Thank you, dr Choctaw. And do you know is really, I was just thinking it's coincidental that you are interviewing me, because I can remember meeting or really hearing about you, maybe over 30 years ago at St David's Baptist Church, and you were, like, I think, the mayor. First you were the what do you the, what they call? On the City Council of Walnut? Yes, then you became the mayor of Walnut. Yes, I did become mayor of the city of Walnut and then I think you were part of NAACP. I said this man is onto something I didn't know. He was part of that group that they called the Alphas, but he's still good. Alphas by Alfa. Yes, sir, right, you're a good guy. And I said I need to know that man. And here I want to interview me. How special is that?
Speaker 2:Well, thank you, thank you, You're very gracious, and I should also mention that you remember that August body called Omega, side by Omega side by the attorney to incorporate. That's right, I do understand. So tell me, richard, tell me about your background, tell me where you were born, how you grew up, etc. Etc.
Speaker 3:Well, I grew up in Gary, Indiana, and when I say Gary Indiana to some people they always say did you know the Jackson's? And I would have to say yes, I grew up down the street from the Jackson's. I played with the Jackson's. I was in LaToya, LaToya's kindergarten class. So we were good for neighborhood friends. I'm going to say good friends, but neighbor Right, right, right. And I would say you know, people say what, how were they? They were like regular people, in a sense that we all lived in the neighborhood as neighbors. They were different in that, you know, Joe Jackson's was in the Jackson. They had a strict routine for them and a lot of people thought it was me. But I say, shoot, if he was me, my, my mother and grandmother was me because they had a real straight. But that was the culture. That was the culture. The Jackson were good people, they were humble and me. So I grew up and then on the other they lived on Jackson Street. I lived on Madison. The next street over for me was Jeff person.
Speaker 3:The streets east of Gary and Gary are named after the states and the streets west of Gary are named after the president. They had Washington, Adams, Madison, Madison, Monroe and Jackson's. The Jackson's lived on Jackson Street. That was just coincidental, it wasn't named after them. But going back to Jefferson we had William Marshall the actor. His mother lived, lived in that house and I remember coming home Well, him coming to Gary home, and he was hit a big, same Bernard dog and he would let us play with the dog and that was a great experience, you know, to have good role models. In our neighborhood down the street from the Jackson's we had Avery Spencer who played in Spencer for higher. His mother was the music teacher at high school, so that was another good experience.
Speaker 2:So so many entertainers in Gary and that's the way God wanted.
Speaker 3:He put that in the plan. We don't have a formula or any message to the madness is just that was coincidental.
Speaker 2:Interesting.
Speaker 3:Water.
Speaker 2:What's your career?
Speaker 3:Well, I went to Ball State in Muncie, indiana. I got my mass BA in journalism and multicultural education. I got a master's in secondary education and then I came to California and got a credential and special ed and I guess that's the book of my career was in special education. I started out wanting to be a journalist and then I met you know when they say when you have someone that looks like you in front of months. The ball state was a predominantly white school. There were like 20,000 students and only 500 blacks to 150 of the blacks lived on campus and I think at that time they had about maybe three professors, but I never saw any of the three black professors. Let me qualify that. And then one day I took a class economics in the ghetto and that was economics in the ghetto, in the ghetto. Okay, and that was Dr Charles Payne. He just passed about last year he passed. But anyway, when you, he was black, he was a black guy from Philadelphia, mississippi. Okay, he talked about his experience there. And when I took this class, man, I said man, I need to be with this guy because he was a great professor, he was funny, he cared about his students and so he started a program at Ball State called Multicultural Education and that's how I got into my minor, the Multicultural Education.
Speaker 3:I was following Dr Payne and after I graduated I started serving in Gary, indiana, as a teacher. And one year we had a blizzard and my girlfriend was still in school at Ball State and so I got in the car and went down just to see her. It was below zero weather and a blizzard and I was just having to walk across campus and I saw Dr Payne and Dr Payne asked he said what are you doing? And I said well, I'm serving in Gary. And he asked he said well, if I gave you a, get you a graduate fellowship, would you come back in work on your master's? And that was two reasons. I said yes, because my girlfriend was there and I would get a chance to get a master's for free. So that's that's how I got started.
Speaker 2:I came to. What did Ball State teach you that you wouldn't have learned had you not gone to Ball State?
Speaker 3:I mean black people can be as smart as the whites, and I say this because I grew up in a predominantly black city. I went to all black high school and we were always taught that we were somebody and we could do something. But we always had oh should I say we had that stigma that white people were a little higher or better and that, I don't know, we just why did you apply to Ball State instead of one of the historical black college?
Speaker 3:Okay, I applied to Tennessee State and I'm waiting for them to answer.
Speaker 2:Tennessee State is a good school. That's where I went to graduate All right.
Speaker 3:So no Tennessee. I applied to Ball State, then SINs and Purdue and then to Tennessee State. Like I said, none of those schools answered me. Ball State answered my call and they gave me a pre-education. I got an Indiana State scholarship. I got a BEOG grant. That was the buck of my finance and I got work study. So my education was free.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. I had work study too, yeah, yes.
Speaker 3:So why did I go to Ball State? Because they gave me the money. I didn't know. I didn't know I was poor, dr Chata, until I filled out my application and I put all zeroes on there and I said mama, we are poor. She said I've been trying to tell you. I didn't have a tree with money that's growing on it. So, yes, I realized how. And it was 12 of us, 12 of you, right, and but I didn't feel like we miss anything. As a matter of fact, I was a happy kid. We had, we always had, we had the party and that's probably why people think I'm a social person party. But that's the way my family is. We all like to get together and have a great time. There's always noise in the house, music, just everything, fellowship.
Speaker 2:So did you socialize a lot of ball state where you on campus, or did you were you outside of?
Speaker 3:Now, you know I was a social person, but I can be in a crowd and hide myself in the crowd, you know, just by myself. But one thing, believe it or not a lot of people would not believe this that I was very, I won't say shy, but I was afraid to talk to people.
Speaker 3:But I like being with them, but they thought yes, I was, but I like being around people and I knew how to be around people and enjoy myself, and then I realized that then that you can be yourself and people will still respect you. So I'm you know, I'm president of the nerd class, but I feel comfortable in that position.
Speaker 2:Do you think fraternities and sororities are relevant today?
Speaker 3:Of course, and that was I was going to get to that. That was the second thing that changed my life. Joining Omega, sci-fi fraternity incorporated and I say that because I pledge my second quarter and the third quarter and they made me president of what was a large chapter or small chapter. It was small, it was only week. We've always had small chapters. The captain's and had the law, always had the largest and that's capital territory, because you're the capital's was founded at Indiana University in Bloomington. But but I like to keep Omega's because they always ask me how I was doing in my studies and if I could help, if they could help me, whereas the other fraternities would say we're the pretty boys or we're the party, we got all the girls.
Speaker 2:You know it's interesting. I think I hear a lot of people who complain about people who are our age, who complain about fraternities and who obviously never, never joined. The fraternity was like a family for me, right, but clearly they taught me stuff. I was like a country boy from Tennessee. I did I'm not old and didn't have a rap. I didn't have anything and I listened to the brothers from New York and Indiana and Chicago and California and I learned from them. You know, I learned how to play chess from my roommate who was an Alabama. Yes, so it was. I think for a lot of us who lived in a sort of a narrow area, education was more than just the book learning. It was right and it taught us. Yes.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:Is that why you went into a kind of a community leadership or something?
Speaker 3:Dr Chakta was just going to say. Growing up in Gary, indiana, gave me a good education. Going to all black high school gave me a good education, and not just educational wise, but social community and just being able to survive in the world. Gary, I saw a lot of people who were in the community, who were, you know, african, american, black. 85% of the teachers at my high school graduated from the high school, so they carried a tradition and they taught us pride. That's one thing we even I can still see the words in the hall pride inside, and that was one of the models that have pride about yourself. I can still remember I didn't really understand the word pride in the fourth grade and but I remember my principal telling us we should have pride in ourself and love ourself. And as I got older I understood exactly what she was talking about. So seeing the civil, the civic people working within Gary. Like Mary, Hatcher became mayor in 67. I was able to be around him. As a matter of fact, my father was a police officer and by the time he was Mayor Hatcher's bodyguard and, believe me, I was. Mayor Hatch was a lawyer and he was my father's lawyer before he became mayor. So I got a chance to see a lot of influential people, important people, and they became my role models.
Speaker 3:You might say I was a paper boy for 10 years. I had my elementary school principal. I had a high school coach, my junior high assistant principal, who later became principal. I had a couple of preachers on my paper route so I was able to go into their homes and you know they talked to me and he inspired me and encouraged me to be successful. So one person, ms Ann Gregory. She was the first black professional woman golfer and I would go in the house when I collect the papers and I see all these trophies on her baby grand. She had a trophy in her trophy case. I would see all of that and I didn't really know who she was until I came to California and I saw an article about her in the newspaper and she had passed. At that time I said wow, I had touched history. She brought Joe Lewis to Gary for a lot of events.
Speaker 2:It's amazing. As I hear you talk, I'm reminded about a lot of parallels in my life where my high school was 99, 100 percent black and the teachers went out of their way. They talked about pride to make sure we understood what was going on in the country.
Speaker 3:Right right.
Speaker 2:They were more than just teachers Right right Teachers and super parents and protectors and professors, on and on and on. Is that why you decided to go into teaching?
Speaker 3:Part of it. Yes, it was. I wanted to inspire, and when you were talking about teachers, I remember my French teacher. We would call her. Well, we would say we're going to have our sermon before she started the lesson. She would always talk about someone important that graduated from Roosevelt, my high school, and usually they were in the newspaper in Gary. They were talking about their accomplishment, and so we would always wait for her to start her sermon before Then. My next door neighbor was Omega, and I didn't know this until one day I came home with my shirt on from a vacation. He called him. He said what is that on your chest there? What do you got that shirt on? I told him. He said what? I'm Omega. I said what we develop a relationship.
Speaker 2:He had diabetes, so I became his chauffeur a lot of times because he became a double MPT One of the least known things I think in this country is and I'm going back to your Omega experiences now is how fraternity and sense of order is helped high school students and college students to show us the way, in particular for me. I'm different from you. I grew up in the foster system, but it was my teachers and my social workers. I was one of them. I need to welcome my social worker, who was like a surrogate mother for me. My point is they went beyond the routine. They weren't just average teachers. You know, you were one of their sons. The fraternity is a big part of that.
Speaker 2:I had a similar experience with Alpha, where one of my high school gym teachers approached me and said I want to take you to go see a man. I got a mission to go and it was a dentist, dr I Elmore. I never forget him. He walked in and looked at me and he said do you want a suit? And I said yes, sir, and he said Mr Sims, who was my teacher, is going to take you downtown King's Salads and downtown Nashville and he's going to buy you a suit. Wow. And my point is that these men, just like you were saying, who were above us, who didn't know us, who were not our parents, but they went outside of their way to help us. Yeah, my point is I think we need to pass that on.
Speaker 3:And I'm glad you said that one, because Raymond J Hill he's known as Pelican. He graduated from Southern University. Okay, he was a recruiter. I don't know if you know Bob Love, but yes, I do know, Bob.
Speaker 3:Love. He played basketball in Chicago, right, right. Well, raymond recruited him from Southern University, okay. But my point is, when I was helping him out, he would say now you don't owe me what he said, you don't owe me anything, but I want you, when you grow up, finish and start working, you owe it to the other kids to bring them up. And I have a bidwis club that I started and I used that I said we're going to party with a purpose and the purpose of our main goal is to play bidwis, but also another goal is to help the youth, and so we give our scholarships to the youth high school seniors every year. Okay, and that is. I said I'm doing that because Raymond told me I didn't owe him anything but I had to give it to the youth. So you're still paying it forward, still put painted, for it will be 30 years in January anniversary. So is that what? We're doing? This for 30 years now?
Speaker 2:But why did you decide to work as a teacher? Why did you decide to work with teachers? I would work with students who had disabilities.
Speaker 3:Believe me, as a sub, I would still have been special education classes. I just had a different feeling being with them. They gave out love. They gave me love and you like to be stroked With love, not a fist.
Speaker 3:I just felt that I had one thing I had patience and I developed patience working with my mother who had rheumatoid arthritis. I wasn't the only child that helped her, but she would always see she loved for me to take her to the doctors Because I would take her to the doctor and wait for her. I would fall asleep waiting, but I would still be there. But my other brothers, they would take her and drop her off and she would have to wait on them to come back. But anyway, I just had a lot of patience. I said I can deal with different people's attitude. Yes, yes, not really attitude, but their behavior. I was able to deal with that. Not take it first. That's what you have to do. Be able to not take it first. You know if the kid strike you or kick ass you, they're not really kicking at you. They have something else going on with them that they are trying to release.
Speaker 2:Probably that quality is worth it. We have this thing about control, the controllables, right, mental, mental health and just basic wellness. Also, we talk about the importance of forgiveness. Is therapy when things happen that appear negative or bad and we don't really know? Just forgive. It doesn't matter who's right or wrong, but that's therapeutic not only for the person that you've given it to before yourself.
Speaker 3:I was going to say forgiveness is really for you, it's a good release, whatever is happening, and for the other person to accept it or reject it. Exactly, release it from yourself and you can move forward, because the longer you hold it on your head, you can't do anything.
Speaker 2:That's exactly right. It's damaging. It's exactly right. How did you get involved with the NAACP?
Speaker 3:Going back to Gary, indiana, I can say Mr Stokes from my church he was Mr NAACP and everyone was always that's something you're supposed to do. You're supposed to get involved with the community service and you're supposed to get involved with the NAACP. That was the dominant group in Gary at that time. I can remember we had the pleasure of having Mahalia Jackson come because she lived in Chicago, but she would come to Gary because she would have friends. I remember them going down the street with Bullhorn on top of the car inviting people. We had Revin Julius James. He was the pastor of St John Baptist Church and he was a classmate of Martin Luther King, dr Martin Revin, martin Luther King. They were going down the street announcing that they were getting buses together to go to the march on Washington. Wow, mahalia Jackson was in the car with them doing that.
Speaker 3:Going back to Mr Stokes, he was a lifetime member. There were other people who were lifetime members of NAACP, but he was a lifetime member that always talked about the NAACP. He was also my Boy Scout master, scout master. I saw him working in the community. My father was part of the NAACP but he wasn't as strong a worker like Mr Stokes. Was levels. Just something you were supposed to do, I guess.
Speaker 2:If you had to give advice to I don't know, thousands of young people or old people, based on your experiences, based on the pros and cons, based on things that you've learned, what would be some of the basic principles that you would suggest to folks?
Speaker 3:Well you know, has the cliche always trusting God. You can always trust God in whatever situation you are in. Things are going to work out either way, but it's going to be for your good and there's a lesson to learn. There's a good out of everything that happens, and that's most people, even my wife. She don't understand that. I don't get upset. I don't get upset easily. If I'm upset, something has really happened and that's why I just try to stay calm and be happy about what's going on in life and enjoy life. But at the moment, so basically trust God and just know whatever situation you are in, it's for your good and you're going to sooner or later work it out. Something else is going to come to help you God is in charge.
Speaker 2:Don't sweat the small stuff, and most stuff is small.
Speaker 3:Exactly.
Speaker 2:Well, Richard, we appreciate your time and we appreciate your effort. Anything else you want to share with us?
Speaker 3:I wanted to be an advocate, you might say, for prostate cancer. I had prostate cancer and I had the robotic surgery. I still don't know why. I don't ask why, but it's in the back of your mind. Why does it happen to me? When I found out that I had it, people said what are you going to do? I said I'm going to the doctor and get rid of this. It's not going to stay with me. I never got down. I wanted people to know things going to happen. I was like I don't know why it's happening to you, but you just have to deal with it. I want to especially the men, to know.
Speaker 3:The reason I found out that I had cancer is because I went to my annual physical. I would always go to my physical. I would call them it's not time for you to come in the hospital. Because it was part of my benefits from my job. It was free, I had it. I wanted to use it. I would go to the dentist regularly every six months and I go to my physical. If I hadn't gone to the physical, I wouldn't have found out. Don't be afraid to know what the doctor is going to tell you. Sooner or later, you're going to find out what he needs to tell you.
Speaker 2:It's an important point you're making, because one of the areas of the population that does that the least is probably men, and more specifically, men of color. It's an important testimony to say that we want to live lifelong. Like everybody else, we have to take care of ourselves. We definitely love having you with us, and if there's nothing else, you can enjoy the rest of your day.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to the Healthy, wealthy and Wise podcast with Dr William Choctaw, mdjd. We hope you enjoyed this episode. In fact, if you found this episode helpful, you can support and subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform with the keywords Dr William Choctaw. You'll find it very quickly. Also, subscribing helps ensure that you don't miss any future episodes. And then take the next step of action and share it with your family, friends and or your coworkers. They'll be glad you did so. Until the next time, live your best possible life the best possible way. You've been listening to the Healthy, wealthy and Wise podcast with Dr William Choctaw, mdjd.
